CBB CEO Ruhland named 2013 Eisenhower USA Fellow

CBB CEO Ruhland named 2013 Eisenhower USA Fellow

On Sept. 27, General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret), Chairman of Eisenhower Fellowships, announced that the organization will send eight U.S. citizens abroad in 2013 as Eisenhower USA Fellows. Among the eight selected Fellows is Polly Ruhland, Chief Executive Officer of the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB), based in Centennial, Colo. CBB was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill to oversee the national Beef Checkoff Program (www.MyBeefCheckoff.com).

The fellowship provides Ruhland with the resources and programmatic support to create and execute an intensive four- to five-week program studying differentiation of U. S. beef in Japan and Taiwan. Working closely with beef checkoff contractor U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), Ruhland will meet and work with key industry contacts to evaluate techniques and messages that would help U.S. producers better distinguish U.S. beef in both markets.

“This fellowship provides an opportunity to provide a different viewpoint into brand differentiation in two critical U.S. markets,” said CBB Chairman Wesley Grau, a cattleman from New Mexico. In addition, he notes, since Ruhland's work will be completely financed by Eisenhower Fellowships it also provides a chance to leverage further the expert work done by USMEF with beef checkoff dollars. “This is a unique opportunity for a group of outstanding leaders to broaden themselves personally and professionally,” Powell noted.

Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Eisenhower Fellowships, commended the Fellowship awardees, saying “We live in a globalized world. An Eisenhower Fellowship will allow these outstanding men and women to bring new insights from world experts back to their communities and to form a network of lasting relationships that will make them global leaders in their fields.”

Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization seeking to foster international understanding and leadership through the exchange of information, ideas, and perspectives among leaders throughout the world. Established in 1953 as a birthday tribute to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the organization has sponsored more than 2,000 Fellows from 108 countries. For more information, please visit www.efworld.org.